Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Daniel TilsonNovember 13, 2014

Unconvinced by Florida Election 2014 number crunching and tea leaf reading, both before and after Nov. 4’s Democratic doomsday? Me too. Of course, that’s not to say I haven’t been poring over plenty of it. But just as I wouldn’t give numbers undue weight in pre-election analysis, neither will I pin sweeping Democratic defeat on […]

Guest AuthorNovember 13, 2014

On the Wednesday after Tuesday’s embarrassing election, President Barack Obama held a news conference. Reporters said they were surprised that he was not “repentant” and showed no “contrition.” Wow — what’s with the Catholic coda? Losing an election, even by such awful margins, is a defeat — but it is not a SIN! Barack Obama is the president of the United States, […]

Guest AuthorNovember 12, 2014

It is now time to stop calling the effort to legalize medical marijuana “Support Amendment 2.” That amendment to Florida’s Constitution failed, barely. Much has been written about the failure of Amendment 2, the very large personalities that debated and funded both sides, and how the amendment didn’t meet the 60 percent threshold but received […]

Guest AuthorNovember 12, 2014

Say you’re a new university president and you’re leading a university that has had two “permanent” presidents and two “interim” presidents in the last decade. Say you came from an Ivy League school, ranked 15th best in the country, according to The US News & World Report. Say you have had an unblemished professional career. […]

Steve SchaleNovember 12, 2014

The morning after the election, tired and a little dejected, I stood with five Indians and four Pakistanis inside the Tampa International Airport, seeing them back off to Washington, DC. When I signed up for this, I didn’t know what to expect. What I didn’t expect was what two of them said to me: “you […]

Guest AuthorNovember 12, 2014

A large man in a black bear suit walks onscreen in a YouTube video. He stops in the middle of some guys tossing around two basketballs, makes some awkward 80s dance moves, and then moonwalks off the screen so well even Michael Jackson might have been impressed. More than 100 of my students watch the video […]

Martin DyckmanNovember 11, 2014

The business of big-time college sports is a uniquely American nonsense. Nowhere else are universities expected to entertain the public in such a fashion. There are problems. A school could solve them, the humorist Max Shulman once wrote, by hiring the Green Bay Packers as “artists in residence.” They wouldn’t have to pretend to be […]

Guest AuthorNovember 11, 2014

Almost everyone was waiting for their discredited heads to roll. And yet, the three most politically vulnerable governors in the United States were re-elected. For most of four years, Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s policies hurt teachers and public schools, the poor, the disabled, the undocumented — just about every group except business interests. His approval […]

Bob SparksNovember 11, 2014

On Nov. 4, Florida Republicans joined with their counterparts around the country to celebrate a number of big victories. The next day, a group of Republicans gathered in Orange Park to lament a tremendous loss. We were there to remember the man many believe was the architect and general contractor who laid the foundation for […]

Guest AuthorNovember 11, 2014

My favorite time of year is autumn, when the weather is perfect and I am reunited with one of my loves: pumpkin spice latte. Everywhere I look I see pumpkins, golden-colored leaves, and children running around in their costumes eating leftover Halloween candy. And, of course, let us not forget about the wonderful breaks and […]

Daniel Tilson: Running campaigns ‘by the numbers’ doesn’t add up for Florida Democrats

Rachel Patron: Consider a different scenario for 2014, with Democratic President O’Brien

Jamie Miller: GOP Legislature should pass a sensible medical marijuana bill

Chris Timmons: FAMU trustees must let the new president do her job

Steven Schale: Pakistani visitors helped expand understanding, build bridges

Laurie Uttich: The social media mirage — and what we’re missing

Martin Dyckman: UNC scandal is latest example of college sports abuses

Stephen Goldstein: The Koch brothers are laughing at Americans

Bob Sparks: Tom Slade laid the foundation for today’s GOP dominance

Vu Tran: Winter is coming – with its pressures and joys